The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic's brief existence (28 May 1918 - 28 April 1920) was interrupted by the bloody Soviet invasion of South Caucasus -20,000 people died defending ADR. The invasion brought the story of Baku's Palace of Happiness (Səadət Sarayı) to a tragic end (1/4)

The palace, designed by Polish architect Józef Płoszko (Az: Yuzef Ploşko), home to Baku oil magnate Murtuza Mukthtarov, was a romantic surprise gift to his wife.
Mukhtarov's Ossetian wife was impressed by a (neo) gothic building she saw in France. (2/4)

Mukhtarov ordered Płoszko to buy blueprints of the French building and secretly build an exact copy in Baku. It was completed in a record time of 9 months. Once it was completed, Mukhtarov drove his wife to the location - as if by accident - and revealed the surprise. (3/4)

The couple lived in the building until the Bolshevik invasion in April 1920. Mukhtarov shot three Red Army officers storming the building before taking his own life. The palace is currently used by Baku municipality for marriage ceremonies. (4/4)